BloodClan's Rebirth
Note: This story takes place in an alternate reality on another roleplay. Please read about any history here, and please don't plagiarize any plots. All of that belongs to me, excluding characters that rightfully belong to the original series. Any theft of content will be handled immediately. Blurb :Life in the four clans feels like it's in slow motion after the Great Battle. Situations and hearts have changed after the four clans merged into a single Clan, DawnClan, to protect its weak members after the tornado struck their homeland. The large Clan has migrated east to the Forbidden Land in hopes of finding a fruitful land that can house them, but StarClan has warned them not to venture east. Terrible things await them there, yet the land seems so happy and peaceful. :Enemies are now friends, and old relationships have seemed to become mended...in such a land of golden beauty and promises, can there really be darkness around the corner? Allegiances Prologue :"Why do you pace, Bluestar?" The fire-colored tom watched the raggedy slate leader move along the border of StarClan restless, back and forth, like she was expecting company and they were running late. Firestar humored himself by watching her, seating himself on a warm, sunny rock while neatly wrapping his tail around his stubby paws. Although he found her situation amusing, he was also troubled by whatever secrets she held, by what he was innocently oblivious to. :"Are you deaf and blind, bee-brain?" Bluestar shot him a scathing glare, causing the red leader to drop his head in guilt while shuffling his paws, as if he was suddenly distracted. "They disobeyed, Firestar. Great darkness awaits the four Clans, now united as one. They think they've found peace, but they've only found disaster." She ceased her movement to look him dead in the eye, recalling when he was once an innocent apprentice. He seemed just as daft as he was back then, stupid furball. :"It's been years now, Bluestar." He groaned and griped about it like some impatient kitten, giving the concerned blue leader a roll of his emerald eyes. She huffed at him in response. :"It has been, but the darkness has come. And it'll be born out of happiness and love." The way that Bluestar stared at him immediately made Firestar feel uncomfortable, as if he was to blame for the whole event. It wasn't like he died during the Great Battle on purpose! It was his time, she had even said so! :"Why must you look at me like that? Have I done something wrong, Bluestar?" :"You don't know, Firestar?" :The voice sounded from behind the arguing ThunderClan leaders, and out came the familiar silvery head of Silverstream. She blinked those blue orbs at him as if she pitied him, causing an even deeper pit of concern to grow in the jolly leader's stomach. "It's not your fault whatsoever, nobody can be blamed for it." The remainder of her body slid out of the dry bracken behind her, front paws kept close together as she curiously cocked her head at Firestar. "We can't help who we fall in love with." :Firestar blinked rapidly, as if to clear a fog from his vision. "Wh-What do you mean? I've loved only Sandstorm my entire life, even here in StarClan. I've always been faithful to her, and I always will be-" :"She didn't mean it like that, Firestar." Bluestar had marched a few steps closer, neck stretched in superiority before she seated herself in front of the fiery tom. The feeling of fear widened in Firestar's chest as Bluestar sat before him. This had to be horribly serious, and he had a feeling he could do nothing about it. :"It's Leafpool and Crowfeather." Chapter 1 :It had been an earthquake that hit, years after DawnClan had finally separated back into ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan. Their new home had seemed so peaceful and promising after the Clans happily settled into their new and hopefully permanent territories. The few survivors crept out of the shadows from underneath the rubble to move to ThunderClan's home in the field, to regroup as DawnClan for a second time. They were terrified now, and StarClan had gone silent. The surviving Clan cats feared that their ancestors had given up on them, and that this would be the end of the line for the cat Clans. :That had been about a moon ago. :By StarClan, she was horrified by what the future may hold at that time, as she had announced to Crowfeather that they'd be having one last litter. It had taken the pair by surprise, and even more surprising, Crowfeather swore to keep her safe through the entire event. During the whole earthquake, as the ground separated and left gaping holes that fell deep down into the Place of No Stars, he was by her side. He did keep her safe, and he made her feel...warm. But that feeling didn't last. She could see that look of betrayal and disdain that burned in those sightless eyes of Jayfeather, the way that Hollyleaf had stared at her emptily. Happiness was all she had ever asked for...and why was it always so hard to attain it? :He had refused to enter the nursery. Leafpool could see Jayfeather standing outside, stiff and still as stone as the cold and relentless breeze battered his unkempt gray fur. With a frown, she felt her stomach twist in agony at how her son continued to choose to ignore her, despite her many attempts to make things up with him. Indeed she had given him and his siblings up, but...it was for the safety of the Clan. If she hadn't, StarClan knows what may have happened during the Great Battle. :"She's the last one, Leafpool." Willowshine, her old friend, had been the one to aid her throughout the entire process, although Leafpool had been confident she'd be able to do it alone. She'd helped many queens in the delivery process, and she'd even had her own litter before in secrecy. But this one...this litter was no accident, these four kittens were born out of the rekindled love she shared with Crowfeather. :Maybe it had started out as an accident once more, during the journey from their old home to the new one in the Forbidden Land. They had been separated from the journeying clans, and had to track them down by themselves. It was scary at first, Leafpool thought she might've killed Crowfeather before they even made it. The awkwardness in the air was practically tangible. But after that alone time, they began to open up, to talk, and those feelings flooded back into her heart no matter how hard she attempted to fight them off. It was against the code. But it always felt so right. :He had proposed running away again. Going back to the territories around the lake, starting from scratch, but she refused. She reminded him that they both had duties to their clans...and with DawnClan as one, they could be together. She would give up her title as Medicine Cat for him. :She didn't do it, not at first. She was afraid of breaking the heart of her children, despite how much they seemed to resent her at the time. But Leafpool couldn't resist it, those long nights she spent with Crowfeather while their clanmates were asleep, running away underneath the stars and sharing stories of the past. Regardless of how much she attempted to fight him off, he always found his way back into her heart. She first discovered her pregnancy as a medicine cat, and Jayfeather...oh, the horrible things he said to her...her pregnancy wasn't he only reason she stepped down. No matter how much Jayfeather loathed her, she would always love him as a son. She stepped down because she thought that was what would make him happy. :"Shall I fetch him, then?" Willowshine couldn't stop purring, why was she purring so much, staring at those kittens at Leafpool's belly? If Leafpool didn't know Willowshine any better, she'd think that Willowshine wanted her own kittens. But she was dedicated to her duty, swore the oath, there was no way she'd ever dream of breaking it. Maybe she was only admiring them from a distance. Most she-cats had soft spots for them, even Yellowfang. Sometimes. :"I suppose that'd be-" :"Oh my stars..." Speaking of the devil, Crowfeather had already broken in, regardless of Lionstar's attempts to restrain him. He looked at the four complaining and squirming furballs at his mate's belly with eyes round and in awe, his jaw gaping. She never pictured him being so...happy about it. If she had run away with him the first time...would it have been this way? Would Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf have grown up happily under doting parents? "The're beautiful, Leafpool...just like their mother." :"They still need names, you mouse-brained, charming furball." Leafpool smoke softly in a silky purr, her amber eyes as sweet as honey as they grazed over the four healthy kittens. Two toms and two she-cats, a perfect amount, despite how tiny the last was. "I want to name the smallest Pebblekit." It was adorable, same as her. :"I like Pebblekit. Her sister should be named Shinykit, after that perfect coat of hers." Crowfeather beamed at his contribution, despite Leafpool finding it to be a cheesy sounding name. She couldn't ruin his happiness, though. She loved seeing him like this. After moons of coldness and ignorance from him after their first breakup, she basked in whatever kindness he had to offer. This was the real him. :"Featherkit," she nodded to the brown tabby tom, similar to her self. She looked up to notice agony in Crowfeather's sky-blue eyes, so she leaned forward to touch her nose to his as an offer of support. "After Feathertail and his father." Maybe it was awkward to name her kitten after her mate's first lover, but it was out of good heart. :"Murkykit." Crowfeather pointed to the largest, a kitten with spiky fur that was black as a starless sky, yet rippling with a smoky silver underneath. Leafpool blinked up at Crowfeather in confusion before batting at his face with a paw. :"That sounds so gross, Crowfeather! He'll be picked on for his entire life." :"I like it," it was her eldest son, Lionstar. She was somewhat relieved to see him, thankful at least one out of her first litter was willing to greet his new siblings. The golden leader grinned down at the four mewling kits with a small purr. "He's like a dark version of me!" :"After all of the darkness and bad things we had to go through to get here." Crowfeather attempted to explain to Leafpool, clearly still set on the name he had to offer. Strange for such an indecisive tom to be so hung up on something, but it did have good meaning. "We had to go through all of this muck, all of this hurt, all of this fighting..." Lowering himself to the ground beside his tabby mate, Crowfeather smiled. "...to finally reach this happy point in life. To finally live as one big family, as it should have been before." :"Alright, Crowfeather. You win, Murkykit it is." Leafpool rested her head on her white paws as the complaining from her newborn litter finally died down. Willowshine turned to Lionstar and Crowfeather with an impatient swing of her tail. :"Visiting time is over, out you two! You can come back after Leafpool gets her rest, that was an awful lot of kittens to deliver. And I'm certain they'll be quite the pawful once their eyes open." Willowshine guided the two toms out of the nursery before sending Leafpool a final glance, and disappearing outside herself. Sighing and glancing over at her kittens, the queen fell into a series of deep thoughts. : :I hope everything will be alright from now on...with the earthquake and all, what else can possibly happen? Has StarClan really given up on us? ---- :"C'mon, Pebblekit, you can do it!! I believe in you!" Those kitten blue eyes, flecked with hints of yellow and amber, were confidently locked on the shrimpy and uncertain kitten down below. She placed her front paws hesitantly on the start on the giant boulder mound before her, before immediately taking them off and shyly cowering away. :"Boo, hurry it up! Don't be such a mouse-heart." Featherkit crowed down at his sister with a mocking grin, his tabby tail wiggling wildly in excitement. Murkykit cast his brother an edgy glare after that comment. Maybe he should just shove Featherkit off...no, that would be mean. And he'd probably die. Even if Featherkit was a giant pain in the rear, he didn't deserve to be killed. Death was scary, anyways. Especially to Murkykit. :"Ignore that fox-heart, Pebblekit! I know you're brave!" It was Shinykit who spoke up for her sister instead, standing on the tips of her paws and beaming down at her gray sister. "You can't let these toms show you up." The black kitten looked awfully proud of herself, and sometimes Murkykit thought his sister took after those arrogant WindClan cats a little too much...but those two didn't matter at the moment. All of his focus was on Pebblekit. Leaning down, Murkykit offered his paw to his sister, which was barely out of reach. :"I'll help you, and I promise I won't let go." The fluffy tomkit stared deeply into his sister's eyes until, slowly but surely, she lifted her paw to touch her brother's. Slowly she began to attempt to scale the outside of the leader's den with her siblings, getting closer and closer to their level on the rocks. Murkykit's heart began to pound excitedly, while Featherkit looked like he was going to fall asleep from boredom. :"This stinks." He commented dryly, observing his paw in the sunlight as he flexed it to release dangerously sharp kitten claws. "I'm bored, we should do something more fun. It's too easy for me!" :"Maybe you should get off of yourself for a bit, Featherkit." Shinykit snapped back at her brother with a scowl on her face, leaning towards him as if to irk him into a fight. Featherkit sized himself up and leaned towards his dark sister as well, hissing challengingly. While the pair bickered, Murkykit continued to reach for his sister. :"Almost there...!" :"What are you mouse-brains doing?!" The alarmed screech came from Dovewing, who Murkykit happened to dislike. She, like most of the other warriors, was always bossing him and his littermates around. Ivypool always acted like her sister was the cool and adventurous one...turned out, she was just as grumpy as all of the other warriors. "You're going to fall-" :"Murkykit, help, I'm slipping!" Frightened by the yelling from the pale warrior, Pebblekit slipped backward off the boulder, nearly to the top of the pile, and began to plummet. Murkykit cried out in alarm, practically diving off the rock as well before he caught himself and only watched the event in horror. Naturally, Pebblekit's tail began to swing, allowing her to land on her paws, but with a sickening crack. Featherkit looked like he was about ready to spit up his breakfast. :It was Jayfeather who came to the scene first, along with whispering and concerned warriors who glared at Pebblekit's littermates as if they'd pushed her. Featherkit was going on about how it was Dovewing to blame, while Shinykit and Murkykit remained silent. "Her paw's definitely broken. You kits are total mouse-brains, like your heads are full of rocks." The grumpy medicine cat scowled under his breath, carrying Pebblekit into the nursery and out of sight. Murkykit watched the pair go with a frown, recalling that Jayfeather was his brother. Why did he never visit in the nursery to play with him? Did he not like him? :"You three, back into the nursery." Leafpool glowered down at her kittens sternly, ushering them back inside to chew their ears off. After she scolded them for a bit, Crowfeather slunk into the nursery coolly with his pale eyes narrowed. :"She'll be ok, Jayfeather's confident that she should heal alright now that the bone's set. The only thing to worry about is infection, because..." The smoky black warrior made a sickened face, and Leafpool seemed to immediately understand what he meant. After all, she had been a medicine cat for most of her life until recent events. The pair exchanged a firm and understanding nod before their father turned to them, glaring at each and every one of them. "The three of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves! You're not squirrels or lizards who can scale rocks and trees, you're kits." :"Sorry, Crowfeather." The offspring mumbled without daring to make eye contact with the explosive warrior. Leafpool stepped to his side, allowing her tail to stroke his back soothingly before glancing down at her kittens. :"What your father means to say is that you three need to be more careful. Pebblekit could've broken something much worse than her paw. It doesn't matter whose fault it is, what matters is that none of you climb Lionstar's den ever again." Her amber eyes darted from one kit to the next to ensure that they were listening, despite their best efforts to avoid contact. Their parents were frightening when angered, same as any cat. "Understood." :"Yes, mom." :"Good." Leafpool sat back on her haunches to look over at Crowfeather smugly, as if she was much better at this whole "parenting" thing. He scoffed playfully before ducking out of the nursery to allow her to handle the rest, since she was clearly so "superior". Once the warrior left, she returned her attention to the bummed kittens. "You three are restrained to this den for the rest of your night as punishment. Any arguing, and I'll talk to your big brother Lionstar about setting you three up with chores...like cleaning the elder's den." She smirked at this. :"Noooo!" Shinykit gasped dramatically at the end bit, "Rushtail smelled like badger dung, and Sandstorm threatened to eat me the last time!" :Their mother snorted. "Rushtail'll eat you too, if he heard that comment." :"No he won't!" Murkykit chimed in, standing on the tips of his paws so that he may be heard, "Rushtail can't hear! Sandstorm was yelling at him about how he keeps wetting his nest and it makes her mad, but he thought she said that 'he keeps doing his best and it makes her glad'." :With a dejected sigh and a small smirk on her features, Leafpool sank into her nest with her kittens around her, eyeballing the queen eagerly. "I can never stay upset with you kittens, can I?" Featherkit nibbled on her tail rambunctiously while she curled it around her litter lovingly, pulling them in closer. From the corner of the nursery, Furzepelt eyed the scene with an amused twitch of her whiskers. :"It's hard to be tough them, isn't it?" The gray and white queen had multiple litters of her own with Harestar, so many that she almost made Ferncloud seem small in her heaps of litters. "You three better be on your best behavior when my little ones arrive, alright?" :"Don't worry, Furzepelt." Featherkit offered a devious and prickly smile, which immediately made the expecting queen uncomfortable. "We won't push all of them off of Lionstar's den. Just most of them." :"Stop being such a fox-heart, Featherkit!" Shinykit snapped at her brother with a swat of her tiny black paws, hitting him square on the cheek and causing their tempers to rise once again. "You always act like someone made dirt in your fresh kill!" The brother and sister went at it again with their bickering while Leafpool did her best to calm them done. Nothing seemed to toss water onto their fire until Squirrelflight stepped into the nursery, huffing at their obnoxious fighting. :"Looks like Murkykit's the only one who'll make it to apprenticeship." The fiery ginger queen commented with a cool smirk, causing Leafpool to shoot her sister a dirty glare. :"Oh, don't say things like that, Squirrelflight." :"What about me and Featherkit?" Shinykit spoke up in protest with a disturbed swish of her tail, Leafpool's efforts to tire her kits failing once more. :"Naughty kits don't make it to become apprentices. You'll be stuck in the nursery bickering with each other until you're elders, stinking like mouse dung like Rushtail." The ex-deputy spoke in a passive tone as she slid into the nursery, like making nothing big of the situation. She clearly caught Featherkit and Shinykit's attention, who stared at her with their jaws dropped. :"We'll be good, we promise, we promise!" :After the three littermates cooled off and took an afternoon nap, Leafpool spared her sister a curious glance. "You're so...good at it. The whole mothering thing, I mean." :"Well, I did raise a litter before." Squirrelflight's tone was sharper than she anticipated, referring to Jayfeather, Lionstar, and Hollyleaf, immediately causing her sister's head to drop in shame. The ginger she-cat felt guilt creep into her heart, dipping her head apologetically. "...I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." :"...It's ok. It's true." :"No," the red sister offered Leafpool a kind smile, approaching her to gently nuzzle her forehead. "You'll do great with this litter, I promise. They'll grow into wonderful cats." Chapter 2 :With those pale pools almost completely amber in color, the kitten tossed back his head to glance up at the dainty Leafpool as she escorted him to the fresh kill pile. "Mom," Murkykit asked as he sat between her forelegs, his height now to the point where he could rest on the back of his head on his mother's chest as he stared up at her with rounded eyes. "When can I play with Pebblekit again? Brother won't let me see her. Why won't he let me talk with her?" With a look of despair, Leafpool met her son's gaze with a tense sigh before moving around him to seat herself. :"She...needs her rest, Murkykit." The former medicine cat found her throat tightening, fighting for the strength to help her kitten understand the situation in the most gentlest way possible. Time and time again, Jayfeather would remind her that the litter wasn't exactly kittens anymore. :"But we'll be apprentices soon!" It was Shinykit who took the words from her brother's mouth, the sleek-furred black she-cat brushing around her mother to face the queen with a mouse hanging in her jaws. Those apprehensive and curious round eyes from the two littermates only brought more pain to Leafpool's heart. "She'll get to be an apprentice with us...right, momma?" :Leafpool's jaw tightened as she desperately searched for an answer, and it was Crowfeather who came to her aid. The smoky black warrior approached in long, cool strides to rescue his mate from the innocently painful questions their kits were pelting her with. As his shadow fell upon son and daughter, the growing kittens turned to their father, eager for the answers they so hopelessly searched for. "You two need to ask less questions, and eat more fresh kill." He offered a small smile, a fake sign of warmth that he used to mask the grief that was secretly nipping at his heart. "Besides, you two are watching Squirrelflight's kittens with your brother while we take her out for a hunt, remember?" :Shinykit let out a low and dramatic grown before sulking off to eat her meal. Murkykit stalked after his coal colored sister to eat beside her, always enjoying her company and finding her occasional optimism very comforting. He crossed his unusually large paws as he crunched on his bony mouse, eyeing his troubled sister as if to non-verbally ask what was bothering her. :"I hate when we have to watch Squirrelflight's kits, especially with Featherkit." She gave an agitated twitch of her tail at the mention of their brother. Most would say that the brown tabby and his sister had a rivalry, but Murkykit believed that it ran much deeper than that. They made each other's blood absolutely boil. They would have at it day and night, not until Crowfeather stepped in to separate Shinykit and Featherkit and order them to cease their squabbling. Murkykit understood that Featherkit was indeed arrogant, but he was still their brother, so the black smoke ignored his flaws and forced himself to get along with his brother. "Those kittens are so uncivilized! You'd swear that they were raised by...by...by badgers, or something!" She was always cross about the younger kittens in the nursery. :"Shinykit, we were just like them, you mouse-brain. Besides, they're family. We're all cousins!" Murkykit attempted to explain to his sister as she wolfed down her mouse, but she seemed to ignore him. At least, most of it. :"If we get a second Featherkit in this world, I think it'll explode from an overload of selfishness." She huffed bitterly as she began to groom the mouse's remains from her dark paws, working at them until they were free of the crimson liquid. Without acknowledging that Murkykit was still eating, she forced herself onto her paws and began to walk away, automatically expecting her brother to follow. "Well, let's get this over with. The sooner Squirrelflight gets back, the better." :They walked in the nursery to be greeted by Featherkit literally sitting on top of Squirrelflight's litter while they squirmed and yowled in complaint. He glared at them coldly through those sky-colored eyes that never changed from that kitten-blue hue. Squirrelflight's four kittens- Dandelionkit, Sparkkit, Alderkit, and Juniperkit- all glanced up at Murkykit and Shinykit with a look of protest and pleading frowns. :"I'm impressed, Featherkit. Your rear end and ego is big enough to sit on four kittens at once." Her sarcastic grin was prickly and cause the tabby kitten to hiss at his sister, getting up and freeing the kittens before stalking up to his sister to size her up. :"Not my fault you couldn't get off your lazy tail to get over here and help out like you were supposed to!" He was already raising his voice and the tensions immediately began to escalate, Dandelionkit and Sparkkit casting each other an awkward glance as their sitters began to pick a fight with each other. Murkykit cringed as a feeling of embarrassment began to creep under his fur, so the largest of Leafpool's litter promptly stepped forward to shove his siblings apart with his broadening shoulders. :"Well!" He began, giving Shinykit and Featherkit a single warning glare before changing the subject, "your mother's out, so we're here to watch you four. Family's got to stick together, after all." He hinted the final part at his bickering siblings, but neither of them seemed to catch his drift. Huffing to himself, the black smoke tom stepped forward to initiate a game of mossball between the four kittens, while Shinykit and Featherkit simmered in silence. They continued this until Lionstar's empowering voice was heard from within the nursery. :"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me beneath the Stone Pile for a clan meeting!" At the leader's thundering voice, Murkykit felt his heart drop. Their ceremony? So soon? But Leafpool and Crowfeather were out of camp, they'd miss the whole thing! Watching their kittens become apprentices and warriors were always the highlight of a parent's life. The three littermates shot each other surprised glances before hurrying out of the nursery, rushing to groom themselves and free their coats of moss from Squirrelflight's litter. Murkykit was the first to pause in his tracks, narrowing his eyes in confusion as he spotted the familiar matted gray coat of Jayfeather. Why was he on the Stone Pile? Hesitantly, the three littermates crept among the growing crowd of DawnClan warriors to see what was going on. :This wasn't there ceremony at all. :It was much worse. :"I carry grave news." It was Jayfeather who was speaking, while his brother Lionstar sat off to the side with his head bowed in defeat. Whatever it was, Jayfeather didn't seem as bothered by the incident, but something still seemed to ruffle him. His sightless eyes scanned the area desperately, like he was searching for the correct words. "Unfortunately, Pebblekit has passed on. The infection set in her bones...and we were unable to save her." :The ground beneath Murkykit's paws felt as if it had disappeared, and it was in those few moments of what chaos that would follow in which his parents returned. With the edges of his vision darkening and his siblings going as stiff as stone, Murkykit found himself falling as if there really was nothing but air beneath his limbs. His eyesight proceeded to darken until the shadows that had surrounded his perception closed in and blackened out everything altogether. The kitten's hearing was what failed next, shortly after his vision had gone out, but he felt his frame hit the solid earth last. The voices around him of concerned clanmates and Shinykit's cries of terror faded into inaudible mumble, until he felt as if he was lifeless. :The last thing Murkykit had seen was the look of pure horror on Crowfeather's face, as if he had seen everything and everyone he had loved get massacred right before his very eyes. The expression on Leafpool's features was absolutely crushing, with the queen cringing hard and practically curling into a ball on-scene. With the former medicine cat's eyes squeezed shut, it was Squirrelflight who had stepped forward in attempts to offer comfort, but her words fell on deaf ears. Crowfeather had been helpless, as he was as still as a statue from all of the trauma that he had so suddenly absorbed. ---- :Murkykit found himself waking up in the last place he had wanted to be: the medicine cat den. This location was where Pebblekit had spent her final moments. Not in the nursery with the family who loved and cherished her (excluding Featherkit, it seemed), but within the cold confinement of the den for the ill and condemned. Not only that, but her only company were the medicine cats and her full-blooded brother who seemed to regard her as nothing more than a maggot. :What was this boiling Murkykit felt in his veins? :It was a feeling he tried with all of his being to fight off, but he was helpless in extinguishing it. The burning sensation that was sourced by explicit hatred continued on until it seeped into his blackening heart, leaving his cold and loathsome gaze to rest on Jayfeather, who had sent Leafpool off swiftly after updating her on Murkykit's status. :It was all his fault. It was because of Jayfeather that his sister died. Chapter 3 :"Murkypaw! You need to focus!" With his cheek pressed into the dry, cracking earth, the black smoke apprentice forced open an eye to send the golden leader a glare. Above him his littermate danced proudly, basking in his temporary advancement over his brother that he had sent crashing onto the ground. Ever since the death of Pebblekit, he hadn't been the same. Murkypaw felt heat emitting from his pelt, his blood surging through his veins as it began to boil from his rising temper. :"I am focusing, Lionstar!" Roaring in response, he forced his fallen form from off of the ground and charged Featherpaw, who turned and glanced at him in shock. He tackled the dark tabby tom to the ground and began to pummel him until his golden mentor pulled him off. :"Enough." Lionstar growled with his eyes narrowed, sending a scolding glance to each of his younger brothers. "No more battle training for the two of you. We're going hunting to cool you off, Murkypaw." Standing with a wide and authoritative stance, he cast both apprentices a final warning glower before turning his attention to Featherpaw's RiverClan-born mentor. "Mintfur, do with Featherpaw as you please." :The gray warrior nodded in response to his leader before directing Featherpaw away with a gentle, encouraging whisper. The brown tabby apprentice growled at Murkypaw before turning away to vanish into the undergrowth with his mentor. Lionstar's wide figure turned round to face the black smoke apprentice to give him some long lecture. "Murkypaw, you need to control yourself. I don't know what's gotten into you lately!" :"You're not my mother, Lionstar." The apprentice shot his mentor a glare filled with disdain. "You're my brother and my mentor, that's it. Let's just get to hunting, get it over with already..." He mumbled the last few words under his breath before turning tail and storming off with his ears flattened against his skull, a sour expression on his face. He heard Lionstar huff something out of distress before trudging after his troubled younger brother. :Hunting with Lionstar started out rough until Murkypaw managed to mentally cool off a little bit. In the end, he proudly carried a fat squirrel home, while Lionstar returned with nothing in his jaws. The apprentice deposited his catch on the fresh kill pile before joining his sister and her mentor in the shade of camp. When Murkypaw approached Shinypaw, Redwillow obediently left to give his apprentice and her brother their privacy. With a friendly purr, Shinypaw gave her brother a slobbery lick to the forehead, causing him to cringe and pull away with a disgusted expression. It didn't bother Shinypaw, it only seemed to amuse her. :"How'd it go?" The black she-cat asked her brother with a curious tip of her head, forepaws held together with her tail neatly wrapped around them patiently. She understood that Featherpaw went out to spar with Murkypaw, and she thought it was a bad idea right from the start. But Mintfur and Lionstar ignored her protests. They should've listened, Shinypaw was always smartest. :"Painfully." The memories from earlier flooded into Murkypaw's mind, causing his stomach to twist and mood to sour once again. "I hate our brother. Featherpaw's such a senseless know-it-all, completely unbothered by the death of our sister. Lionstar just blamed me for the whole thing, as usual. It's like he expects me to be the bigger cat. Maybe it's time that he gets it through his thick skull that Featherpaw needs any sense to be beaten into him!" He simmered in the silence that followed, his sister staring at him with round, almost shocked eyes. :"...Well. So it didn't go well." She awkwardly and stiffly turned away from Murkypaw before letting out a small sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with Featherpaw, but he's still our brother, as annoying as he is. We can only hope that someday he learns his lesson. Only StarClan can judge him for his actions." :"StarClan?" Murkypaw was no longer sitting, instead he was pacing in front of his littermate, kicking a pebble and sending it dashing across camp. "What has StarClan ever done for us? Let our sister die? They don't exist." He had paused to snarl under his breath, facing his sister who looked even further surprised. From behind her in the shadows, Spikepaw jumped out with his eyes widening with a gasp. :"What do you mean, Murkypaw?! Your mother was a medicine cat, how can't you believe in StarClan?" The older apprentice with the tufted fur on his head stood with his jaw dropped. Both Shinypaw and Murkypaw gave him a bemused expression before Shinypaw shoved him away with a black paw to his face. :"Butt out, Spikepaw! Go bother Havenpaw." After she dismissed Spikepaw, Shinypaw returned to Murkypaw with her brows furrowed seriously. "Don't say such things, Murkypaw. StarClan's up there, they never abandoned us. The life we borrow from them always has to be returned, just...sometimes sooner than others." She frowned when she mentioned Pebblekit's early death before shaking it off. Murkypaw, on the other hand, couldn't let it go. His faith in StarClan was slipping, and fast. :"Whatever." The black smoke apprentice finally seated himself back at his sister's side, so both watched with keen interest as Featherpaw returned to camp. The brown tabby apprentice seemed obnoxiously pleased with himself, despite still holding a resentful air from Murkypaw's beating. Upon seeing his brother continuing to act so conceited, Murkypaw sunk his claws into the ground, kneading it as if he was imagining his brother's face beneath his paws. Shinypaw, in an attempt to calm him, rested her tail on Murkypaw's shoulders. :From his distance, Featherpaw noticed his brother and sister, sending them a icy glare while continuing to stalk along. He proceeded to maintain intense eye contact with them until he disappeared into the colorful blend of their clanmates' pelts. Then suddenly, camp exploded with activity towards the entrance of camp. There were hisses of discontent and mistrust, with youngsters darting out of the path of the entering patrol. :Among the DawnClan warriors was the pale pelt of a ragged old tom who stuck out like a sore thumb. He seemed ominously comfortable in his own skin, sending lax glances in the direction of the curious yet semi-aggressive passing faces of warriors. Murkypaw raised his head in interest and prepared to stand, but Shinypaw forced him to remain seated. Hootwhisker anxiously lead the stranger into camp alongside Poppyfrost, who appeared to have much more confidence in each stride. Who was that white tom? :Murkypaw, despite Shinypaw's best efforts, managed to slip away and eavesdrop. Something about the loner drew him in, captured his entire interest. He lurked outside of Lionstar's den, ears perked inquisitively as he inched closer and closer to get well-within earshot. :"...Bongo. You've been a resident here for a very...very long time, haven't you?" Lionstar was trying to be polite, but the leader was somewhat of a mouse-brain in a social sense. The stranger, as it would seem, was well beyond his senior years. It as almost a miracle that he was still standing and hadn't turned into dust. :"How kind of you to notice, Blondestar." The stranger's voice was thick with satire, sharp like a scolding mother. Murkypaw could practically feel Lionstar's awkwardness, so he bathed in the moment to enjoy his older brother's temporary suffering. "But yes," the elderly white tom straightened himself up a bit with a sharp inhale. "I've resided here for quite some time." :Bongo? What a stupid name. Regardless, Murkypaw was perplexed and keenly interested in this stranger, seeing that DawnClan was yet to run into any rogues and loners. It was ominous, really, how barren the landscape was in regards to feline life. The smoke's amber eyes were glued to the pelt of the ragged Bongo, whose owl-like yellow eyes eventually flickered over to meet the apprentice's gaze and hold onto it for several awkward moments. Growing a little discomforted, Murkypaw turned and fled from the edges of Lionstar's den, to ensure that he wasn't caught by the leader. :When the opportunity was right, Murkypaw would do some interrogating of his own. Who knew what kind of tales such an old raggedy tom might have? ---- :It was later in the evening, with the tip of the sun gently kissing the horizon and dyeing the wheaten fields and even more brilliant gold. Kittens tired and sought out rest, while the elders clumped together to watch the sunset, sharing tongues in its dying light, while the ragged white tom clung to the edge of camp, alone. Murkypaw prepared to enter the apprentice's den before his eyes darted in the ex-loner's direction, with his sister narrowing her eyes behind him. Shinypaw loathed Bongo, or so it seemed, yet she hadn't disclosed why. Likely because he was a stranger, change, something new. :StarClan, his sister was starting to sound like an elder... :Although Shinypaw's glare suggested otherwise, Murkypaw stole away from his sister and snaked over to the mysterious tom, inaudible as he approached the old tom from the background. Despite probably being loaded with old-age problems and hearing complications, Bongo's ear twitched in the apprentice's direction. "Hmmm, I've been expecting you. For moons, actually." His voice was as rough as his appearance, and as he spoke, his back remained turned towards the smoky apprentice, who narrowed his eyes in disgust. Expecting him? What was that supposed to mean? :"You say that like you can read the stars." Murkypaw responded dryly, the notion of their ancestors and StarClan bringing bitterness to his heart. They had stolen his sister away unjustly, cut her life short when she had such wonderful opportunities awaiting her. Life wasn't the same without her, and yet their mocking ancestors knew that. And they didn't care. :Bongo grunted and fell into a series of silence, before he finally raised his head, his piercing yellow gaze pooling into Murkypaw's, causing the apprentice to flinch in alarm. Something in those nuclear eyes was wrong, wild even, and the young tom began to regret his decision to talk with the old bat. However, there was something still...alluring about him, perhaps the dreaded and unknown, along with a pinch of rebellion. :Finally, the raggedy white feline broke the icy silence with his raspy voice. "Not read them, Murkypaw, met them. Only the greatest cats rise to become the stars. Those who are forgotten, those who fail to uphold our values, become the unappreciated darkness surrounding those 'stars' we look up to." As the ancient cat continued to speak, Murkypaw couldn't help but to find himself drawn in closer, scooting a few paces closer to look upon Bongo with both scrutiny and keen interest. :"'Them"? Who is this 'them'?" The smoky apprentice asked with a tinge of disbelief in his voice, yet deep down, he wished to know what the stranger had to say. There was a sort of mystery to him, this ominous air that warded Murkypaw yet off. The unknown- it as so dangerous, yet so alluring simultaneously. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. :The sinister grin that grew on Bongo's features could be seen from miles away. "Those who die in the glory of battle, not in the shame of cowardice like those you know as 'clan cats'. This 'them', Murkypaw, are the gallant warriors of BloodClan." Chapter 4 :WIP Category:Silverwhisker's Fan Fics Category:Fanfics Category:Fan Fictions